Method for forming through silicon via with wafer backside protection

ABSTRACT

Semiconductor devices with through silicon vias (TSVs) are formed without copper contamination. Embodiments include exposing a passivation layer surrounding a bottom portion of a TSV in a silicon substrate, forming a silicon composite layer over the exposed passivation layer and over a bottom surface of the silicon substrate, forming a hardmask layer over the silicon composite layer and over the bottom surface of the silicon substrate, removing a section of the silicon composite layer around the bottom portion of the TSV using the hardmask layer as a mask, re-exposing the passivation layer, and removing the hardmask layer and the re-exposed passivation layer to expose a contact for the bottom portion of the TSV.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a method of fabricating semiconductordevices with through silicon vias (TSVs). The present disclosure isparticularly applicable to fabricating semiconductor devices with TSVswith wafer backside protection from copper contamination.

BACKGROUND

The integration of hundreds of millions of circuit elements, such astransistors, on a single integrated circuit necessitates further scalingdown or micro-miniaturization of the physical dimensions of the circuitelements, including interconnection structures. Micro-miniaturizationhas engendered a dramatic increase in transistor engineering complexity,resulting in several problems.

One such problem is copper contamination at the backside surface ofsilicon wafers during TSV exposure by backgrind and reactive ion etch(RIE). The TSV exposure and RIE can cause copper ion migration intoactive device regions. This issue is especially problematic after waferthinning.

A need therefore exists for methodology enabling formation of devicesincluding TSVs with wafer backside protection from copper contamination,and the resulting device.

SUMMARY

An aspect of the present disclosure is an efficient method offabricating a semiconductor device with wafer backside protection fromcopper contamination.

Another aspect of the present disclosure is a semiconductor deviceincluding a wafer backside protection layer surrounding an exposed TSV.

Additional aspects and other features of the present disclosure will beset forth in the description which follows and in part will be apparentto those having ordinary skill in the art upon examination of thefollowing or may be learned from the practice of the present disclosure.The advantages of the present disclosure may be realized and obtained asparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

According to the present disclosure, some technical effects may beachieved in part by a method including: exposing a passivation layersurrounding a bottom portion of a TSV in a silicon substrate, forming asilicon composite layer over the exposed passivation layer and over abottom surface of the silicon substrate, forming a hardmask layer overthe silicon composite layer and over the bottom surface of the siliconsubstrate, removing a section of the silicon composite layer around thebottom portion of the TSV using the hardmask layer as a mask,re-exposing the passivation layer, and removing the hardmask layer andthe re-exposed passivation layer to expose a contact for the bottomportion of the TSV.

Aspects of the present disclosure include forming the hardmask layer ofa spin-on resist or planarization film. An additional aspect includesremoving the section of the silicon composite layer by wet etching, dryetching, or a combination thereof. Another aspect includes removing thehardmask layer and the passivation layer by wet etching, dry etching, ora combination thereof. Further aspects include forming an oxide layerover the bottom portion of the TSV and the bottom surface of the siliconsubstrate prior to forming the silicon composite layer, and removing theoxide layer over the bottom portion of the TSV concurrently with thehardmask layer and the passivation layer to expose a contact for thebottom portion of the TSV. Yet another aspect includes forming a maskwith the hardmask layer by forming the hardmask layer over the entiresilicon composite layer and planarizing down to the silicon compositelayer over the bottom portion of the TSV to expose the section of thesilicon composite layer. An additional aspect includes planarizing thehardmask layer by chemical mechanical polishing, wet etching, or acombination thereof, exposing the section of the silicon compositelayer. Other aspects including removing a protective film under thepassivation layer from a bottom surface of the TSV after removing thehardmask layer and the passivation layer to expose the contact for thebottom portion of the TSV. A further aspect includes forming thehardmask layer to a thickness of 1 μm to 3 μm.

Another aspect of the present disclosure includes backgrinding a bottomsurface of a silicon substrate exposing a bottom portion of a TSVsurrounded by a passivation layer and a protective layer, forming anoxide layer over the bottom portion of the TSV, forming a siliconcomposite layer over the bottom portion of the TSV and the bottomsurface of the silicon substrate, forming a hardmask layer over thesilicon composite layer, planarizing the hardmask layer down to thesilicon composite layer over a bottom surface of the TSV, and removing asection of the silicon composite layer around the bottom portion of theTSV.

An additional aspect includes removing the passivation layer and theprotective layer to expose a contact for the bottom surface of the TSV.Yet another aspect includes planarizing the hardmask layer by chemicalmechanical polishing, wet etching, or a combination thereof to exposethe section of the silicon composite layer.

Another aspect of the present disclosure is a device including: asilicon substrate, an exposed portion of a through silicon via (TSV)protruding out from a bottom surface of the silicon substrate, and asilicon composite layer covering the remaining bottom surface of thesilicon substrate.

Aspects include a device including an oxide layer between the siliconsubstrate and the silicon composite layer. An additional aspect includesthe oxide layer being formed to a thickness of 100 Å to 500 Å. A furtheraspect includes the silicon composite layer being formed of siliconnitride, silicon carbide, or a combination thereof. Another aspectincludes the exposed portion of the TSV protruding 0.5 μm to 3 μm outfrom the bottom surface of the silicon substrate. An additional aspectincludes the device including a protective film and a passivation layerbetween the TSV and the silicon substrate. A further aspect includes thepassivation layer ending at the bottom surface of the silicon compositelayer. Yet another aspect includes the protective layer extending downsides of the exposed portion of the TSV.

Additional aspects and technical effects of the present disclosure willbecome readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the followingdetailed description wherein embodiments of the present disclosure aredescribed simply by way of illustration of the best mode contemplated tocarry out the present disclosure. As will be realized, the presentdisclosure is capable of other and different embodiments, and itsseveral details are capable of modifications in various obviousrespects, all without departing from the present disclosure.

Accordingly, the drawings and description are to be regarded asillustrative in nature, and not as restrictive.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure is illustrated by way of example, and not by wayof limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings and in whichlike reference numerals refer to similar elements and in which:

FIGS. 1 through 9 schematically illustrate wafer backside protectionsteps and a resulting substrate including a TSV and a backsidecontamination protection layer, in accordance with an exemplaryembodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, numerousspecific details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of exemplary embodiments. It should be apparent, however,that exemplary embodiments may be practiced without these specificdetails or with an equivalent arrangement. In other instances,well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form inorder to avoid unnecessarily obscuring exemplary embodiments. Inaddition, unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing quantities,ratios, and numerical properties of ingredients, reaction conditions,and so forth used in the specification and claims are to be understoodas being modified in all instances by the term “about.”

The present disclosure addresses and solves the current problem ofsemiconductor device failure because of copper contamination duringbackgrinding owing to no gettering layer at the back surface of thinnedwafer semiconductors and from copper TSVs owing to poor step coverage ofthe barrier layer. In accordance with embodiments of the presentdisclosure, a backside wafer contamination protection layer is producedprior to exposing the bottom of the TSV.

Methodology in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosureincludes exposing a passivation layer surrounding a bottom portion of aTSV in a silicon substrate. A silicon composite layer is then formedover the exposed passivation layer and over a bottom surface of thesilicon substrate. Next, a hardmask layer of a spin-on resist orplanarization film is formed over the silicon composite layer and overthe bottom surface of the silicon substrate. A mask made using thehardmask layer may be formed by forming the hardmask layer over theentire silicon composite layer and planarizing down to the siliconcomposite layer over a bottom portion of the TSV to expose a section ofthe silicon composite layer. The section of the silicon composite layeraround the bottom portion of the TSV is removed by wet etching, dryetching, or a combination thereof using the mask of the hardmask layer,re-exposing the passivation layer. Then, the hardmask layer and there-exposed passivation layer are removed exposing a contact for thebottom portion of the TSV.

Still other aspects, features, and technical effects will be readilyapparent to those skilled in this art from the following detaileddescription, wherein preferred embodiments are shown and described,simply by way of illustration of the best mode contemplated. Thedisclosure is capable of other and different embodiments, and itsseveral details are capable of modifications in various obviousrespects. Accordingly, the drawings and description are to be regardedas illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive.

Adverting to FIG. 1, a method of forming a semiconductor device withwafer backside protection from copper contamination, in accordance withan exemplary embodiment, begins with a silicon substrate 100 including aTSV 101 surrounded by a protective film 103 and a passivation layer 105.As illustrated, the protective film 103 is contiguous with the TSV 101and the passivation layer 105, and the passivation layer is contiguouswith the silicon substrate 100. The TSV 101 may be made of anyconductive metal, such as copper (Cu). The protective film 103 may beformed of tantalum (Ta) or tantalum nitride (TaN). The passivation layer105 may be formed of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) or any otherpassivation material.

Next, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the method proceeds with backgrinding ofthe silicon substrate 100 down to approximately the passivation layer105, followed by etching of the silicon substrate 100 to expose a bottomportion 201 of the TSV 101. The etching of the silicon substrate 100 maybe accomplished using ammonium hydroxide (NH₄OH), potassium hydroxide(KOH), or a combination thereof. After etching the silicon substrate100, the bottom portion 201 of the TSV 101 may protrude 0.5 to 3 μm(e.g., 1 μm) from the bottom surface of the silicon substrate 100.

Next, an oxide layer 301 is formed over the bottom portion 201 of theTSV 101 and the bottom surface of the silicon substrate 100, asillustrated in FIG. 3. The oxide layer 301 may be formed of TEOS, a highaspect ratio oxide (HARP), amorphous hydrogenated carbon doped siliconoxide (SiCOH) and other doped silicon oxides. The oxide layer 301 may beformed to a thickness of 100 to 500 Å (e.g., 300 Å).

Adverting to FIG. 4, a silicon composite layer 401 is formed over theoxide layer 301. The silicon composite layer 401 may be formed ofsilicon nitride (SiN), silicon carbide (SiC), or a combination thereofat a thickness of 500 to 1000 Å (e.g., 750 Å). The silicon compositelayer 401 may act as a backside contamination protection layer duringthe exposure of the TSV.

FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate various embodiments for forming a hardmasklayer 501 over the silicon composite layer 401. In both embodiments, thehardmask layer 501 may be formed to a thickness of 1 to 3 μm (e.g., 1μm) and may be formed of TEOS.

As illustrated in FIG. 5A, the hardmask layer 501 may be deposited overthe silicon composite layer 401. The hardmask layer 501 may be depositedaccording to any known deposition method, such as chemical vapordeposition. Subsequently, as illustrated in FIG. 6, a mask is createdusing the hardmask layer 501 by removing the hardmask layer 501 down tothe silicon composite layer 401 over the bottom portion of the TSV 101,to expose a section 601 of the silicon composite layer 401. The hardmasklayer 501 may then be planarized using a fixed abrasive, low selectivitychemical mechanical polish (CMP) slurry, such as CMP platen 2 to exposethe section 601 of the silicon composite layer 401.

Adverting back to FIG. 5B, the hardmask layer 501 may instead be formedof a spin-on resist or a planarization film followed by a hard bake at100 to 550° C. Subsequently, the mask of FIG. 6 may be created byremoving the hardmask layer 501 down to the silicon composite layer 401over the bottom portion 201 of the TSV 101 to expose the section 601 ofthe silicon composite layer 401 using a wet etch that removes TEOS.Alternatively, a combination of planarization and wet etching may beused.

Adverting to FIG. 7, the section 601 of the silicon composite layer 401may be removed by wet etching, dry etching, or a combination thereof.For instance, the section 601 of the silicon composite layer 401 may beremoved by a wet etch using phosphoric acid (H₃PO₄).

As illustrated in FIG. 8, the remaining hardmask layer 501, the exposedportion of the oxide layer 301, and a portion the passivation layer 105may be removed by wet etching, dry etching, or a combination thereof tore-expose the bottom portion 201 of the TSV 101. However, unlike thefirst exposure illustrated in FIG. 2, the bottom portion 201 is exposedin FIG. 8 without the passivation layer 105. For instance, the remaininghardmask layer 501, the exposed portion of the oxide layer 301, and aportion the passivation layer 105 may be removed by a wet etch withdilute hydrofluoric acid (HF).

As shown in FIG. 8, the re-exposed bottom portion 201 of the TSV 101 maystill include the protective film 103. Adverting to FIG. 9, theprotective film 103 may be removed from the bottom surface of there-exposed bottom portion 201 by CMP or other methods (e.g., RIE), toexpose a contact 901 for the bottom portion 201 of the TSV 101.

The embodiments of the present disclosure achieve several technicaleffects, including preventing copper contamination at the backside ofwafers during TSV exposure. Embodiments of the present disclosure enjoyutility in various industrial applications as, for example,microprocessors, smart phones, mobile phones, cellular handsets, set-topboxes, DVD recorders and players, automotive navigation, printers andperipherals, networking and telecom equipment, gaming systems, anddigital cameras. The present disclosure therefore enjoys industrialapplicability in any of various types of highly integrated semiconductordevices.

In the preceding description, the present disclosure is described withreference to specifically exemplary embodiments thereof. It will,however, be evident that various modifications and changes may be madethereto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of thepresent disclosure, as set forth in the claims. The specification anddrawings are, accordingly, to be regarded as illustrative and not asrestrictive. It is understood that the present disclosure is capable ofusing various other combinations and embodiments and is capable of anychanges or modifications within the scope of the inventive concept asexpressed herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: exposing a passivation layersurrounding a bottom portion of a through silicon via (TSV) in a siliconsubstrate; forming a silicon composite layer over the exposedpassivation layer and over a bottom surface of the silicon substrate;forming a hardmask layer over the silicon composite layer and over thebottom surface of the silicon substrate; removing a section of thesilicon composite layer around the bottom portion of the TSV using thehardmask layer as a mask, re-exposing the passivation layer; andremoving the hardmask layer and the re-exposed passivation layer toexpose a contact for the bottom portion of the TSV.
 2. The methodaccording to claim 1, further comprising forming the hardmask layer of aspin-on resist or planarization film.
 3. The method according to claim1, further comprising removing the section of the silicon compositelayer by wet etching, dry etching, or a combination thereof.
 4. Themethod according to claim 1, further comprising removing the hardmasklayer and the passivation layer by wet etching, dry etching, or acombination thereof.
 5. The method according to claim 1, furthercomprising: forming an oxide layer over the bottom portion of the TSVand the bottom surface of the silicon substrate prior to forming thesilicon composite layer; and removing the oxide layer over the bottomportion of the TSV concurrently with the hardmask layer and thepassivation layer to expose the contact for the bottom portion of theTSV.
 6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising forming amask with the hardmask layer by forming the hardmask layer over theentire silicon composite layer and planarizing down to the siliconcomposite layer over the bottom portion of the TSV to expose the sectionof the silicon composite layer.
 7. The method according to claim 6,further comprising planarizing the hardmask layer by chemical mechanicalpolishing, wet etching, or a combination thereof, exposing the sectionof the silicon composite layer.
 8. The method according to claim 1,wherein the bottom portion of the TSV includes a protective film underthe passivation layer, the method further comprising: removing theprotective film from a bottom surface of the TSV, after removing thehardmask layer and the passivation layer, to expose the contact for thebottom portion of the TSV.
 9. The method according to claim 1, furthercomprising forming the hardmask layer to a thickness of 1 μm to 3 μm.10. A device comprising: a silicon substrate; an exposed portion of athrough silicon via (TSV) protruding out from a bottom surface of thesilicon substrate; and a silicon composite layer covering the remainingbottom surface of the silicon substrate.
 11. The device according toclaim 10, further comprising an oxide layer between the siliconsubstrate and the silicon composite layer.
 12. The device according toclaim 11, wherein the oxide layer is formed to a thickness of 100 Å to500 Å.
 13. The device according to claim 10, wherein the siliconcomposite layer is formed of silicon nitride, silicon carbide, or acombination thereof.
 14. The device according to claim 10, wherein theexposed portion of the TSV protrudes 0.5 μm to 3 μm out from the bottomsurface of the silicon substrate.
 15. The device according to claim 10,further comprising a protective film and a passivation layer between theTSV and the silicon substrate.
 16. The device according to claim 15,wherein the passivation layer ends at the bottom surface of the siliconcomposite layer.
 17. The device according to claim 15, wherein theprotective layer extends down sides of the exposed portion of the TSV.18. A method comprising: backgrinding a bottom surface of a siliconsubstrate exposing a bottom portion of a through silicon via (TSV)surrounded by a passivation layer and a protective layer; forming anoxide layer over the bottom portion of the TSV; forming a siliconcomposite layer over the bottom portion of the TSV and the bottomsurface of the silicon substrate; forming a hardmask layer over thesilicon composite layer; planarizing the hardmask layer down to thesilicon composite layer over a bottom surface of the TSV; and removing asection of the silicon composite layer around the bottom portion of theTSV.
 19. The method according to claim 18, further comprising removingthe passivation layer and the protective layer to expose a contact forthe bottom surface of the TSV.
 20. The method according to claim 18,further comprising planarizing the hardmask layer by chemical mechanicalpolishing, wet etching, or a combination thereof to expose the sectionof the silicon composite layer.